Jinchuriki Tag Team
by ChibiBird
Summary: When Gaara of the Sand visits the Village Hidden in the Leaves, he is attacked and escapes with a boy named Uzumaki Naruto. The boys are sought out by the distraught kage and evade search parties as well as members of a secret organization, bend on destroying the world.
1. Epiloge

**Notice: I do not own Naruto-kun, Gaara-kun or any of the characters in this story.**

Gaara of the Desert stared at the boy standing across the room. He struggled to keep his face emotionless even though he wanted to grin at the other boy.

Uzumaki Naruto didn't notice the boy's stare as he watched the match in the ring under them. He was determined to become a chunin and prove himself to Sasuke, even if that meant fighting one of his only friends.

The two jinchuriki had known each other for a while and Naruto had been ecstatic to find his old friend. Gaara secretly wished that they didn't have to fight, but he also couldn't wait for the competition. Time crawled as he waited and the young shinobi could feel the tension in the stands.

"Naruto-kun." Gaara sighed. He couldn't believe it had been 7 years since he had talked to the boy. His brother glanced down at him. "I'm fine Kankuro-san. I'm just excited." The voice inside of his head responded instead of his brother.

"I hope you defeat that fox brat, Gaara-kun. I don't want to be shown up by that baka Kyubi, no matter what you think of the boy containing him." Gaara smiled at his companion's prideful remark.

"Don't worry Ichibi-san. I can handle myself." The bijuu grunted and Gaara imagined the tanuki crossing his arms.

The KazeKage watched the match with almost no interest. The Hokage sat next to him.

"Not interested by the current fight?" Sandaime Hokage said, glancing at the other man.

"You know what I'm waiting for. And if I'm correct everyone wants to see the match between the jinchuriki." The Kazekage stated blandly. Sandaime Hokage sighed.

"Yes, I understand. But we'll just have to wait."

The match finally came to a close, with a leaf ninja being victorious. Naruto cheered as the match ended and turned to face Gaara. He gave the boy a thumbs up along with a huge grin.

"Come on, Gaara-kun. Let's get this started." The boy jumped down from the room into the ring and Gaara smiled to himself. The boy jumped down. The sandy earth cushioned his fall, reaching up to support him. Gaara met his opponent in the middle of the field. The proctor coughed and came to stand between the boys.

"Alright, you know the rules. Try not to kill each other." The proctor said, watching the boys nervously. Naruto grinned and held out his hand. Gaara shook it and returned the smile.

"Ready… Start!"

Gaara's mind whirled as the flashback started.

 **Thanks for reading the first chapter, I hope you enjoy the rest of this story. I decided to rewrite this story because the original didn't flow like I wanted it to and didn't make any sense in some places. I hope the story makes more sense and my writing has improved a little. If you see any errors please tell me. Another notice: No, this story is not a yaoi. Sorry if you were confused.**

 **Arigatō, sayōnara.**


	2. Chapter 1

Gaara trailed the party, keeping the Kazekage in his sight. A guard ran next to him, keeping the boy on track as they ran through the trees. Gaara had never been out of the Hidden Sand Village and he felt overwhelmed by the voyage. The trees were colorful and provided shade for the ninja. The small boy had only ever seen the desert and looked at everything with excitement. The small party stopped suddenly with a command from the Kazekage.

"We will be entering the Village soon. I want three of you with me and two with Gaara." The Kazekage looked at the boy sternly. "Stay with your bodyguards at all times." Gaara nodded silently.

When the Sand ninja entered the village, a small group of leaf ninja were waiting to escort them. The ninja wore black clothing and green jackets that reminded Gaara of the leaves. Red swirl patterns accented the backs of their uniforms.

"Sandaime Hokage-sama is waiting for you." One of the ninja walking beside Gaara's father was speaking in a low tone. "Is that the boy?" The Kazekage nodded.

"Yes. I wish to bring him with me to see the Hokage." He glanced sidelong at the Leaf ninja. "If that is ok." Gaara turned his attention to the city around him.

It was colder in the forest, and the buildings were made of wood instead of stone. Brightly colored shops lined the street and delicious smells permeated the air. Gaara sighed contentedly as a slight breeze ruffled his red hair. A commotion from one of the shops attracted the young boy's attention. A man was yelling at a boy about Gaara's age.

The boy had spiky yellow hair and wore normal clothes, except for the swirly pattern on the back of his shirt. Gaara realized it was the same as the one the Leaf ninja wore. The boy had a scrape on his arm and his face. Blood oozed from the wound but it didn't look serious.

"Hey, watch it." The man held a broom in a threatening position over the boy.

"It's that kid again…" "That monster…" "He shouldn't be allowed to live" Gaara heard uneasy mumbling amongst the gathered villagers.

Gaara stopped and stared at the boy in confusion. The boy didn't look dangerous, but people also said the same things about him. The boy noticed him and looked up.

"Hey, what's your problem? Is there something on my face?" The boy glared at him. Gaara was shocked at the boy's retort, but made up his mind. Gaara untied his scarf and held it out to him.

"Here. You're hurt." Gaara said with a shy smile. The boy blinked in surprise.

"Oh. Thanks…" He gingerly took the cloth as if expecting it to explode and finally wrapped it around his arm. The bodyguard tugged on Gaara's hand.

"Gaara-san, we need to be going." The guard proceeded to tell him about the dangers of strangers, especially in another village. "It's dangerous in this village. You must never leave your guards," the ninja continued, but Gaara wasn't listening.

Gaara continued walking, feeling proud that he had helped the boy. He hoped that maybe the boy would be his friend if they ever met again. When he looked back the boy was gone.

The group passed a few houses and entered the more crowded section of the village. Gaara's view was soon obscured by a sea of people. He hung tightly to the guard's hand and resisted the urge to bolt. Heavily populated overwhelmed him as he was still young. Most people in the Hidden Sand Village avoided him anyways.

People often called his the same names they called the other boy and he became scared the villagers here would do the same to him. He scanned the area nervously and tripped, losing his grip. Panic flooded the boy's senses and he curled up, feeling a protective layer of sand cover him. His terror grew and he almost cried out.

A woman screamed and Gaara sat up. Sand was wildly spreading across the street, making a barrier between the villagers and himself. His bodyguard stared at him in horror.

"He's out of control. The monster spirit is out!" The guard nearly yelled the words and panic spread as quickly as the sand. Women were screaming and running, and men were shouting. Gaara heard his father's voice among them.

The sand slowly stopped, but the damage had been done. Everyone was hysterical and Gaara cringed at the sound of his father's angry voice.

A hand suddenly trapped his and pulled him into a side alley. He struggled to keep up with the person pulling him along and looked up. Gaara stopped in his tracks when he saw the boy he had seen earlier. The boy turned to face him.

"Come on, we need to get out of here!" The boy stood next to him. They turned to see a sand ninja standing in the alley, blocking the way they had come.

"Stop!" Several kunai soared through the air. Gaara scrunched his eyes shut, exhaustion spreading over his small body. He vaguely noted his father yelling again, and cringed. The boy that had rescued Gaara grunted as a kunai hit him.

"Hey, we need to get moving." Gaara opened his eyes and stared at the boy. His sand shield covered the left side of his body, but the right side had been exposed. The boy had thrown himself in front of the incoming projectiles, shielding Gaara's right side. The boy smiled weakly. "Come on!" He dashed off in the other direction, pulling Gaara with him.

The guard that had thrown the Kunai was pushed out of the way by the Kazekage.

"You idiot! Don't attack him!" He rushed into the alley way desperate to find his son, but the two had already escaped. His eyes narrowed on the guard, but he turned away silently. "Take me to the Hokage. We must find Gaara-san."

 **Aw, poor Gaara-kun! Don't worry though; he's safe with Naruto-kun… For now. *evil laugh***

 **Thank you, again, for reading. I plan to post the next chapter soon. If you see any errors, please let me know so that I can fix them.**


	3. Chapter 2

The Kazekage sat in the Hokage's office, his eyes narrowed angrily. The Hokage sat across from the seething man, his eyes full of concern.

"We need to find the boy quickly. He is very precious to the Village and I've spent a lot of time with him."

"Yes, we are working on finding him. Do you have any information on the kidnapper? Maybe a description would help us." Sandaime Hokage set down the pipe he had been holding.

"No. I didn't see him in the commotion. And the ninja who did won't be able to answer any questions for a while. He's still terrified of the child." The Kazekage said wistfully. "Of course he's lucky the boy didn't kill him." Sarutobi looked up at the remark.

"Why do you say that?"

"This boy isn't as innocent as he looks." The Hokage didn't think the Kazekage could look any more serious, but he did. "You have to be very careful when handling him." Sandaime Hokage narrowed his eyes.

"Yes. I'll be sure to inform the men in charge of searching."

"I'm telling you, this boy is a killer that needs to be watched at all times."

Gaara collapsed on the soft bed, watching his rescuer. The boy smiled at him, but grimaced. He pulled off his bloody shirt, a hole marking where the kunai had pierced his back. The cut didn't look as bad as Gaara had first thought it was, but it still looked painful.

"Are you ok?" The blonde asked, getting out a bandage. Gaara blinked. He wasn't sure the boy had his priorities right, since he was the one bleeding.

"Yeah. I'm ok. Does it hurt?" The boy chuckled.

"Yeah, a little."

"Can I help?"

"Oh, uh… Sure." The boy seemed surprised by the question. "Can you get a wet wash cloth? They're in that closet." Gaara complied, happy to be helpful.

"What did those men want from you anyways?"

"I'm here from the Village Hidden in the Sand. I came with my father to see the Hokage." The boy stared at him.

"Wow, the Sand Village? What's it like there?" The boy took the wet cloth and rubbed it over the wound, grimacing in pain. Gaara shrugged.

"There's sand everywhere. It isn't nearly as pretty as the forest here. It's really hot there. I actually kinda miss Yashamaru-san, though. And I guess I miss my brother and sister."

"Yashamaru-san?"

"He's the one that looks after me. Kinda like a dad, or big brother. He's the one that taught me how to help people." Gaara wound the bandage around the boy's shoulders being careful not to make it too tight. "There you go."

"Thanks." The boy smiled wryly. "I usually have to do that myself. Or go to the hospital." Gaara smiled back.

"No problem. I like helping. I'm Gaara. Gaara of the Sand."

"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto held out his hand. "Nice to meet you Gaara-kun." Gaara beamed, and shook the hand.

"Nice to meet you, Naruto-kun."

The two boys sat on the bed in silence, each thinking over the day's events. Gaara shuddered as he thought of his father. The boy wondered if he should go back, but he couldn't leave Naruto yet. His new found friend seemed to be healing quickly, but Gaara felt responsible for what had happened.

"I'm sorry for getting you in so much trouble, Naruto-kun." Gaara mumbled weakly. The other boy looked up and smiled easily.

"It's ok. I get hurt a lot, so getting hurt doesn't bother me as much." Gaara clenched his fist.

"Why do you get hurt so much? Do people hurt you?"

"Yeah, they don't like me too much."

"People don't like me either. But they've never hurt me. Not on the outside anyways. They make my chest hurt when they are mean and Yashamaru-san says that my heart is broken."

"Yeah, I understand that. I think I might have a broken heart too." Naruto placed a hand over his chest. He smiled again. "But together we can get better and become even stronger." Gaara smiled.

"Yeah!"

 **Squee! Little Gaara-kun is so adorable! Sorry, couldn't resist. I just love him so much.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading. I really appreciate it. You'll have to wait to read more though, sorry. I know this chapter was short, but the next chapter is going to be longer. Again, if you see any errors please tell me. Until next time.**


	4. Chapter 3

Gaara's stomachs rumbled loudly, announcing that he was hungry. Naruto grinned broadly and looked at his companion.

"Don't worry, we're almost there." Naruto reassured him.

"Is the ramen really as good as you say?" The child asked. He looked around nervously, half expecting the people to start yelling at him again.

"Yeah, Ichiraku's the best!" The boy stopped in from of the shop. "Here we are." A sign in front of it read 'Ramen Ichiraku.'

The two boys entered and sat down at the counter. No one else was in the shop except for the owner, who looked up and smiled at the customers.

"Naruto-kun. It's good to see you again." He peered at Gaara. "Oh, who's your little friend?"

"This is Gaara-kun. He's visiting from far away." Gaara smiled shyly. The old man's smiled widened.

"Well in that case, the ramen's on me. You'll have the usual I'm guessing?"

"Yeah. For me and him." Naruto grinned. Loud steps outside made him look up quickly. He wordlessly jumped over the counter dragging Gaara with him.

"Hey!" Naruto held a finger to the boy's mouth. They waited silently for a few seconds before a man entered the shop.

"Have you seen a young kid with red hair around anywhere?" Gaara didn't recognize the voice, but he knew he would be in trouble if he was caught. The old man glanced at Naruto, who shook his head.

"No, sorry. I don't remember seeing anyone with that description." The old man said and scratched his head. The other man huffed.

"Alright. Thanks anyways." The steps receded as the man ran off to continue searching. Naruto hopped up into the counter and grinned widely.

"Thanks for helping us out." Naruto explained brightly. The man sighed.

"What kind of trouble are you in now? You know I really can't protect you for long." He looked at Gaara. "Are they looking for you, Gaara-kun?" The boy nodded.

"Yeah. I'm sorry to cause you so much trouble." The boy felt tears well up in his eyes. "I just cause trouble wherever I go."

"Hey, that's not true. You're welcome here whenever you want." Naruto slid back over the counter. Gaara climbed over the smooth surface carefully, sliding back into his own chair. The old man sat two bowl of ramen in front of the two young boys.

"Alright, here you go."

"Thank you for the food!" Naruto clapped his hands together and pulled out a pair of chopsticks. Gaara followed the motion and took a bit of the ramen. The boy closed his eyes and savored the delicious soup for a moment before taking another bite.

"It's so good!" Gaara exclaimed. Naruto laughed, slurping up his own food.

"I told you. The ramen here is the best." The boys laughed in harmony filling the small shop with a happy sound. The boys quickly finished their meals and got up to leave.

"Thank you!"

"Anytime Naruto-kun. And be sure to bring Gaara-kun again." The old man called after the boys as they raced down the street. Naruto waved and smiled before the boys disappeared down an alleyway.

Gaara ran after his companion, trying not to get lost in the maze of streets and alleys. He wasn't sure where the other boy was going, but he hoped it was somewhere fun.

"Where are we going?" He asked between quick gasps.

"I'm going to introduce you to my other friends." Naruto looked back over his shoulder. "There's Shika-kun, Choji-kun, Ino-chan and Sakura-chan. They normally play in the park." He slowed as an open green field came into view. Gaara was amazed. They didn't have green fields in the Hidden Sand Village. The barely had anything green at all.

He stopped and watched as Naruto ran over to a group of five other children. Gaara inched forward slowly, suddenly nervous around the other children. Naruto turned and waved to him, inviting the boy to join him. Gaara grinned and raced to meet the small party.

"This is Gaara-kun. He's a friend of mine." Gaara smiled shyly.

"Hello." The other children peered at him curiously. The didn't see hostile but Gaara was still cautious. The children in the Hidden Sand Village didn't like him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ino. This is Sakura-chan." A girl with blonde hair gestured to the smaller girl behind her.

"Nice to meet you." The strawberry haired girl echoed meekly. One of the boys standing next to Naruto grinned.

"I'm Choji. Good to meet you Gaara-kun." Choji held out his hand. Gaara took the thick fist and shook it twice. A boy stood behind choji, his arms held behind his black hair.

"I'm Shikamaru. Where are you from anyways?"

"Oh, uh. I'm from the Village Hidden in the Sand." The other children stared at him.

"Really? That's amazing!" Choji exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah. Instead of sitting here, why don't we do something fun?" Naruto sulked a bit, obviously a little jealous of the attention Gaara was getting.

"How bothersome." Shikamaru sighed. "Alright let's go." Gaara smiled happily. The was happy Naruto had helped him make some friends. Maybe he would be able to stay a little longer.

The children shrieked and played, running around and across the playground equipment. Happy voices rose into the air, carried by the cool wind. A man sat in a tree, overlooking the village. A black hood hid most of his face but his mouth was twisted in an evil smile.

"It seems that everything is going to plan."

 **Woo, this chapter was fun. I couldn't resist putting in the other children. Gaara-kun really needed some friends.**

 **Sorry about the wait. I plan to upload a chapter at least once every week. Thank you for reading. If you see and errors, please tell me. Until next time.**


	5. Chapter 4

Gaara could barely suppress the giggles rising in his throat as Naruto stumbled around blindly. A bandanna covered the boy's eyes, keeping him from spotting the poorly hidden children dotting the playground.

"Aw, come on guys where are you?" Naruto whined. The boy called Choji snorted softly, but it was all Naruto needed for a hint. He turned suddenly in the direction of the sound and dove towards the other child. The other kids broke from cover and ran around the mulched arena, giggling and whooping. Gaara stayed where he was and watched Naruto pounce on a victim.

"Oh, how bothersome. Why did you have to get me?" The trapped boy whined. Naruto pulled off the bandanna and held up his arm in victory.

"Woo! You're it Shika-kun. Better luck next time." The boy said through a cheeky smile. The other children laughed, except for Shikamaru. He grumbled but accepted the cloth and tied his eyes.

"I should use the shadow possession jutsu on you all. But I guess that would be too much work." Shikamaru sighed. Ino laughed.

"Like you can even do it yet. You have a long way to go before you can catch us with that Shika-kun." He tried to glare at her but eventually burst into laughter with all of the other children. Gaara smiled to himself. A sound from behind made him turn.

A girl with short blue hair and white eyes was watching the group. She stood nervously, not noticing Gaara.

"Hi." The girl squeaked and jumped. Gaara smiled at her warmly.

"Oh, uh. Hello." She muttered quietly. Gaara could only see half of her since she was hiding behind a slide.

"Are you one of Naruto-kun's friends?" He stood up and brushed the dust off of his clothing.

"Oh, uh, well, um… I know him from… Er uh, I guess so…" She muttered, fidgeting and twirling her fingers.

"Gaara-kun, are you going to come?" Naruto ran over to where Gaara was sitting. The girl squeaked and hid her face again. "Oh, hey Hinata-chan."

"Oh, um… Hello… Naruto-kun." Hinata said and smiled shyly. Gaara could see her face redden slightly. It reminded him of when an older boy talked to his sister Temari.

"Are you guys going to come play, or just sit here?"

"Oh, I was kinda tired so I'll watch for a little bit." Gaara mumbled.

"Ok. We'll have fun watching." Naruto gave him a devilish grin before turning and running to rejoin the other children.

Gaara sat watching as the children chased each other, squealing with delight. He smiled sadly. He hoped he could make good friends like this in the Sand Village. Gaara turned to ask the Hinata girl a question, but she wasn't there anymore.

"Ino-chan, Sakura-chan, we need to be going!" A lady got up from a nearby bench and motioned to the girls.

"Awww. Alright we're coming." Ino waved good bye as the girls ran off after the woman. "Bye guys, see you tomorrow!" She called. The other children waved back.

"Yeah, we should probably be heading home too." Shikamaru yawned. Choji sighed, but followed the other boy.

"See you later Naruto-kun. Don't get into any trouble."

"You know that's not going to happen." Shikamaru chided. "Just don't get caught. And keep us out of it." Naruto laughed.

"Yeah, I will." Naruto waved after them until they disappeared. He let his hand down and sighed. Gaara was surprised to see how the boy seemed to shrink when he was alone. If Naruto was anything like him, Naruto was alone most of the time. He stood up and walked over to join his friend.

"Hey, Naruto-kun," the other boy jumped and spun around when Gaara spoke.

"Oh hey. I forgot you were here." Naruto laughed nervously. His eyes suddenly sparkled. "You want to go see if we can get into some mischief?"

"Oh, well, maybe we should go and see if we can find my father. He's probably worried." Gaara smiled. "If that's ok." Naruto's eyes dulled a little.

"Oh. Okay. We could probably go talk to Oji-san." The other boy lead Gaara down the street. "I'm sure he'll be able to find your father."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, it's no problem." Naruto rested his hands on the back of his head. "How long do you think you're staying in the village anyways?" Gaara thought for a while.

"I don't know. Father said we're only going to be gone a few days. We've spent two days in the village already." Gaara said quietly.

"So you might have to leave when you find him." Naruto said with a sigh. "I wish you could stay longer." He stopped and turned the red-haired boy. Naruto smiled sadly.

"Maybe I could grant that wish for you." The two boys spun around to face a man with dressed in all black clothing. He was blocking the alley leading towards the Hokage's office. The boys couldn't see his face, but he looked very menacing.

"W-who are you? What do you want?" Naruto stood boldly, demanding answers from the man.

"Me? I'm no one. I just want to make the world a better place." The man's voice was low and comforting, but Gaara could here tension in the words, like a silent threat.

"And what do you want from us?"

"You, will be the instrument I use to achieve my goals." All comfort in the words evaporated and the man lunged forward. His black cape rippled hypnotically, distracting the boy. Naruto pushed him to the side.

"Run!" Naruto yelled, pushing the boy again. Gaara scrambled to his feet and ran. He heard the loud steps and heavy breathing of his companion and the light swish of their pursuers cape further behind.

There was sand gathering everywhere, but Gaara felt too panicked to control it. The grainy bits instead rose and fell gently under his feet, slightly cushioning the earth. He tried to raise a wall and the little bits he could control made a flimsy curtain. The man cut through it easily. Gaara turned into alley after alley, right then left, left then right. The strange man never lost a beat, following closer and closer.

Gaara turned right and suddenly found himself in a wider street. He turned around and the man wasn't behind him. He turned and closed his eyes, continuing to sprint to the canopy of stores he could hide in. He heard a scuffling and turned as Naruto fell to the pavement.

"Naruto-kun!" Gaara skidded to a stop. A gloved hand closed around Gaara's arm and pulled him back from the fallen form of Naruto. The boy screamed, fighting the strong grasp.

"Whoa there. Calm down kid." Gaara looked up at the man who was holding his arm. It wasn't the hooded figure from before, but he was wearing black clothing. A painted mask hid the man's face and he also wore gray armor. Another man was picking up Naruto. "It's alright. We're here to help you." The man said gently, kneeling down so Gaara could see his eyes.

He looked sincere but Gaara was still afraid. The hooded man could be anywhere close by, planning an attack. Naruto groaned as he was pulled to his feet, but looked uninjured.

"What do you think got them spooked?" The masked man by Naruto asked. The other man shrugged.

"I would suppose that would be me." Gaara turned in horror as the hooded man appeared in the street, only meters away. "But that is to be expected of children."

"Who are you? State your name and purpose." The shinobi stood, pushing Gaara behind him.

"Oh me? I'm not anyone really." He took a step forward and was suddenly much closer than he should have been. The man with the painted mask stepped back and blocked a strike.

"Get out of here you two! We will handle this." The other shinobi yelled the words and he pulled out a short tonto. Gaara stood in shock but Naruto pulled him away.

"Let's go! out of the Village, I know where we can hide!" He hissed into Gaara's ear. The boy nodded.

 **Ugh. I know, this chapter is slow but it's important to the plot. I'll try to make the next one more exciting.**

 **Again, see any problems, feel free to tell me. You can leave any questions, comments or even random stuff in the reviews. I enjoy hearing from you guys. Thank you, see you again soon.**


	6. Chapter 5

Naruto raced through the city, leading out and away from the center.

"I know a great hiding spot. No one will find us there." Naruto said. Gaara struggled to keep up. His legs felt weak from fear.

"Naruto-kun, who was that?" Gaara asked between gasps.

"I don't know. But he sure wasn't friendly." The gates stood in front of them, soon to be closed for the night. Two ninja stood guard, but Naruto didn't even look at them.

"Hey, what are you doing?" One yelled. They took formation to stop the pair.

"Don't stop, keep running!" Naruto instructed his captive. A man grabbed for Naruto and the other reached for Gaara. Naruto ducked, pulling Gaara with him. Sand smashed the two ninja in the face, stopping them. Naruto Nodded to his companion.

"Alright. Let's go!"

The shinobi stood hidden in the shadows waiting for his partner. A cold breeze whisked through the alley, chilling the air even though it was summer. He looked up as the masked man emerged.

"Finally. Is everything in position?" Mizuki smirked.

"Yes. The monsters have been chased out of the village. I will have to leave the rest to you unfortunately… I must be taking a leave of absence for the time being."

"Right." The Chuunin said with a chuckle. "Now I can get my revenge." The masked man said nothing, watching intently. He quickly nodded and vanished, followed by the breeze.

Gaara sat down heavily on the ground. His legs hurt and his breath came in ragged gasps. Naruto dropped down beside him. The forest outside the village was dark and cold. The smell of rain filled the air. The shadows lengthened as the sun started to go down.

"Naruto-kun, where are we?"

A shed stood in front of the pair. Naruto pushed the door open, waving Gaara inside.

"This is a safe house I found. No one will find us here." He said and bolted the door. The boys sat down against the door. Gaara panted heavily from both fear and exhaustion. He hadn't ever ran that quickly as far as he could remember. The boy's eyes drooped as he settled against the wooden door.

Gaara looked at Naruto. He seemed to be in a similar state between wakefulness and sleep. Feeling sleep overtaking him, Gaara leaned over and rested his head on the other boy's shoulder. Naruto tensed at the contact, but eventually relaxed. Before they knew it, they were both asleep.

Naruto woke up when he felt the door shift behind him. He stood up and backed away from the door, watching as it opened slowly. The boy barely noticed Gaara huddled next to him. The door completely opened and a man stood in the doorway. Naruto could see who it was, so he backed against the opposite wall, growling a warning.

"Stay back!" The man took a step forward anyways.

"Naruto-San, It's me, Sensei." The man spoke softly. Naruto took a confused step forward, recognizing the man's voice.

"Mizuki-sensei? What are you doing here?" He asked. The man chuckled.

"The whole village is looking for you Naruto-kun. You and the other boy." He becomes to Naruto and Gaara. Naruto glanced back at his friend before walking tentatively to the teacher. Mizuki lead them outside.

"You know, you've caused a lot of people to worry. But, it's for themselves. Not for you."

"What? I don't understand." Naruto took a step back again. Mizuki turned on him. His soft expression suddenly became hard and evil.

"You've been a very big pain Uzumaki Naruto! But now that I have you, I can finally destroy the demons inside you and your little friend." The Chuunin cackled. Mizuki raised one of the huge shuriken he carried on his back. Mizuki smiled one more time before hurling the weapon towards the children. Naruto tackled Gaara and a wall of sand covered them. The shuriken sliced through the sand and spun off. It thudded into a tree behind them. Mizuki laughed again.

"I guess you are a demon. I should try harder." He hissed. The man raised his arm again, holding his second shuriken into the air. "Say goodbye demon fox!" Naruto's eyes hardened as he stared at Gaara. The boy stood up, realizing there was no where to go this time. He would accept his fate bravely, and protect the boy he called his friend.

"It's ok Gaara-kun. I'll protect you." He smiled. Time seemed to slow as Mizuki threw the shuriken.

"Naruto-kun! Get down!" The boy look up quickly at the cry, and fell backwards. The smell of blood permeated the air. Naruto looked up in shock at the man who had thrown himself in front of the shuriken.

"Iruka-Sensei." Naruto said quietly. The shinobi stood over his student, a kunai in each hand. One kunai had caught the middle of the shuriken and the other caught one of the blades, stopping it in mid air. Iruka breathed heavily. A long scratch ran across the front of his best exposing the raw skin beneath.

"Naruto-kun, take Gaara-san and get away." He let go of his kunai and the weapons fell to the ground. "I'll take care of Mizuki."

"But Sensei I don't understand what's going on." Naruto stammered. He had never seen his Sensei act like this. Iruka-Sensei had been nice to him before, but no one had even stood up for him.

"Go!" The man practically screamed the word. Naruto hesitated for before turning and sprinting off. He was barely aware of Gaara running beside him as he cried.

"Sensei!" Naruto sobbed. "Please come back!"

 **Hi-ya guys! Sorry its been so long.**

 **As you can see I was feeling very dramatic. I hope you guys like it, I know you've been waiting a long time.**


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